Improvement in piano-forte actions



G. W. NEILL. Pianoforte Action.

Patented June 11., 1878.

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rruy Z247 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

GEORGE IV. NEILL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT .IN PIANO-FORTE ACTIONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 204,752, dated June ll,1878; application filed April 22, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. NEILL, of Boston, of the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Actions for Upright Piano- Fortes; and do hereby declare the same tobe described in the following specification and represented in theaccompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a side view, Fig. 2 a rearview, and Fig. 3 a vertical section, of an action containin g myinvention, which relates to mechanism or devices for operating thedamper.

It consists, first, in the damper and its fore and back stops, spring,and adjustable button, arranged with the damper-fulcrum, as set forthsecond, in the damper and its fore and back stops, spring, andadjustable button and rod or lower arm, arranged as set forth, incombination with an angular lever provided with an adjustable button,and arranged with and to be operated by the key, as described.

In the drawings, A denotes the key; B, the hammer; G, the jack or fly,and D the bed or supporting-arm of such fly. This bed is pivoted to astationary rest or bar, a, the fly being fixed to the bed at its front.The bed rests on the top of a push-rod, b, which at its lower end isstepped on the key. The fulcrumsupporter of the hammer and damper isshown at E as fastened down upon a rail, F, and projectin g in oppositedirections beyond such. The damper G, pivoted to the said supporter, asshown at c, has an adjustable button, H, arranged directly over thesupporter, the screw-stem d of such button being arranged vertically, orthereabout, and screwed through a projection, e, from the damper. Thesupporter has a back stop or abutment, f, arranged as shown, for thebutton to bring up against. Furthermore, there is within the supporter Ea cylindrical or other properly-shaped chamber, g, which is open at itsrear end. Within this chamber there is placed a small helical spring, h,one end of which is fastened to the supporter and the other to thedamper. This spring is to force the damper up to the string. In rear ofthe tail of the damper is the forestop 8, for the tail of the damper tobring up against in order to prevent the damper from being advanced toofar. There extends down from the tail of the damper a metallic rod, S,which is screwed or firmly fixed in such tail. At its lower part suchrod comes in front of an adjustable button, I, whose stem 2' is screwedthrough the upper arm 70 of an angular lever, K, arranged in front ofthe key and pivoted to a bar, L, all being as represented. The lower orshorter arm I of the lever K rests on the top of the key. On depressingthe key the said arm l will be moved upward, so as to cause the button Ito act against the rod S in a manner to move it, and thereby cause thedamper to be moved off the string.

By having to the damper and key the angular lever, the adjustablebutton, the spring, and the fore and back stops, and the rod arrangedwith them, as described,instead of having the damper operated by a leverpivoted to the jack-bed D, important advantages are gained. The stem ofthe adjustable button I can easily be reached for adjusting the button.The damper is operated with less power and with good effect by the key.Furthermore, by arranging the spring of the damper in a chamber in thefulcrum-supporter, as set forth, such spring becomes covered andprotected so as not to be liable to accidental displacement or injury. Ashort helical spring can be used instead of a long curved wire spring,as usually employed, extending from the fulcrum-supporter to thedamper-head.

By having the adjustable check or button of the damper arranged andapplied as explained, its stem can easily be reached for being turned,there being no necessity for removing any part of the action to effectsuch.

The rail F, for sustaining the hammer and damper fulcra supporter, hasprojecting from it a stationary inclined cam or plane, a, against whichthe adjustable button 0 of the jack or fly c is borne or forced duringthe upward motion of the fly. This plane or cam, by its action on thebutton, causes the fiy to be moved back out of the notch 12 of thetail-block of the hammer.

In some piano-forte actions invented prior to my invention it has beencustomary to use a damper unprovided with fore and back stops, andhaving arranged with it and the key an angular lever carrying anadjustable button and being for moving the damper back from the string.It has also been customary to provide a damper with a spring to force ittoward combined and arranged substantiallyv asset forth.

2. The damper Gr, its fore and back stops f 8, spring h, fulcrum 0,adjustable button H, and rod S, arranged as described, in combinationwith the angular lever K, provided with the adjustable button. I, andarranged with and to be operated by the key A, as specified.

GEO. WV. NEILL.

Vitnesses:

R. H. EDDY, JOHN R. SNOW.

